


Rocket for hire

by orphan_account



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Fan Games
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-09-28 04:31:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10071593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: In the Pokémon world, evil has taken many forms as organizations rise to achieve their own goals, from reforming the land to reshaping the world to simply stealing Pokémon for profit. However, they all fell due to bright, moral, and talented trainers getting in their way and stopping them. Those trainers would go on to become champions of their own regions, and finally settle down now that their goals were achieved and the evil team vanquished.But things are just not that simple. Corruption and vileness seep the streets as soon as trainers turn their backs. Immoral practices take place in hidden areas as people do things for their own benefit only. There are even rumors of higher ups and popular figures getting drunk with power and fame, and do anything possible to keep it. And then there are the old teams rising again...One of them being Team Rocket.Hayden Crowder is a 17 year old young man who joins Team Rocket because he feels that he cannot be what others want him to be. As he does missions for his organization, he also does dirty jobs to whoever will reward him. But as he faces consequences for his actions and meets certain characters, he starts to question his own ideals...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Pokemon Rocket Edition](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/270398) by colonelsalt. 



> Hey everyone, I'm Multifan96 and this is my first fanfiction! This story was inspired from my desire to see things from a villain's perspective combined with the delight I had with playing various Pokémon Team Rocket ROM hacks, one in particular call Pokémon Rocket Edition. That hack is where I got the idea for Hayden being somewhat of a mercenary, parts of missions as well as certain scenes, other ideas and even a character! I recommended you go and check it out if you haven't played it already.  
> Despite all that, I'll try to keep the story as original as possible while using the various Team Rocket hacks as a base.  
> Updates will be random due to me needing to get new ideas for other chapters and my own life. Please leave a comment down below with your feedback (or if you think I'm plagiarizing or something IDK). I look forward to reading them!

_The bell rang as I sat in my seat in Biology class. I stared at the middle-aged teacher in the front of the room._

_"I'll hand back the test from yesterday." He said._

_I couldn't wait to get it back. I spent a week studying for that thing and I stayed up half the night worrying about the mark. He handed out the tests to the students, one by one until he gave back mine. My heart dropped to my stomach as I saw the red "59% " circled at the top of the page. 59%? **59%?!** I studied that long for a 59%? Oh God, my parents won't be happy..._

**_***_ **

_"WHAT?! A 59%?! UNACCEPTABLE!!!"_

_I stared down at the floor as my mom yelled at me. She was a head shorter than I was, yet she gave an illusion of being as tall as a freaking Regigigas when she's mad. She has been harping on me ever since I got to high school and my marks dropped swiftly. My dad stood right next to her, as tall as I was, glowering at me._

_"Hayden I expected better of you!" She yelled. "I thought you studied a week for this!"_

_Finally I looked at her face. "I did." I said._

_"Well you didn't study enough!" She yelled. "You're just lazy!"_

_Finally I felt angry. I absolutely hate it when people misunderstand me or my intentions. "NO I'M NOT LAZY!" I finally shouted. "I JUST CAN'T DO BIOLOGY! I DON'T EVEN WANT TO BE A DOCTOR LIKE YOU WANT ME TO!"_

_"I HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR DEFIANCE! AND DON'T YELL AT ME, I'M YOUR MOM!"_

_"IT'S NOT LIKE YOU EARNED ANY RESPECT!"_

_My dad finally intervened. "Why can't you be more like your older brother Nathan?" He asked coldly. "He doesn't yell at his parents. He actually has friends and interacts with them, not sit all alone in the hallways. He gets an over 90% average, not like you, when you can barely pull over 72%. He actually tries at sports, not you who flinches when a ball is thrown sharply your way."_

_I balled my fists at the thought of Nathan. He's a year older than me, but he's Mr. Perfect. Smart. Charming. Handsome. Star athlete. Talented Pokémon trainer, whereas I can't catch one do to my poor aim in throwing. Dates one beautiful girl after another whereas for me, girls simply ignore me and scorn me. They thought I had potential due to my somewhat decent looks, but was disappointed with my non-existent charm and athletic skills. Every student, teacher and about anyone I meet always ask me, "Why can't you be like Nathan?" ' They got excited when they hear that another Crowder is in the school, thought that there was another smart student, star athlete, popular guy coming. Boy were they wrong._

_I hated being compared to him. Anger bubbled inside me like boiling water. I opened my mouth to yell at him, but loud beeping sounds came instead of words._

_Wait, loud beeping sounds?_

*******

I woke up in a beige room, an alarm beeping over the speakers. For a second I forgot who I am, where am I, and why.

Then I remembered. My name is Hayden Crowder. I'm a tall 17 year old boy with dark pink hair that barely reaches to my eyebrows, dark eyes and olive skin. I'm in a Team Rocket boys barrack and the reason why I was there was because I decided to join Team Rocket. I joined them as a way to defy everyone who wanted me to be something else. After all, what better way to do so than to join a reviving evil organization, right? I did it to finally stop thinking about and remembering my past. Ironically, the exact opposite happened, and now sometimes I dream about my past. Thanks brain, I really needed that.

"Wake up greenies!" A wheezy voice yelled on the speakers. I recognized it as belonging to a Team Rocket leader named Petrel. "Today's a bright new day, now that you finished basic training. After breakfast, come to the meeting area at 9:00 sharp to get your gear and Pokémon!"

Excited voices were heard in the room as people quickly changed from their grey sleepwear to their standard Team Rocket uniform. After training for a week, we can finally go and commit crime in the name of Team Rocket! Sure, the training was hell, but now that we trudged through it, the fun will finally start.

I changed to my uniform: dark grey pants, a dark grey long sleeved shirt with a breast pocket that a red R on it, dark grey cap, light grey boots and gloves, and a grey belt. The girls wear a similar uniform, except they wear a skirt and longer boots. With the rest of the grunts, I walked out of the barracks to the cafeteria.

*******

I held up my tray as an unenthusiastic cook slopped some goopy oatmeal in my bowl. I picked up a handful of Pecha berries to go with the oatmeal before I went to my usual spot in the corner, passing through groups of grunts who talked excitedly about how edgy they were in the past, Pokémon they plan to steal, and plans to get rich. I got to my usual spot, where only one other person sits with me. An enthusiastic boy with slightly paler skin than mine, about the same height, give or take an inch, and green hair as long as mine. Ronnie Vanderwall. We became friends during training, as we were often paired up for physical activities like hand-to-hand combat, and while he thrashed me almost every time, he was also willing to give me a few pointers.

"Hayden, my man." Ronnie waved an arm to me as I sat down. "Are you ready for this?"

"Ready as ever." I said with a smile. "How 'bout you?"

"You serious, Hayden?" Ronnie asked with a questioning look. "You know about my past, man. You know that I was born to be bad."

"Yeah, I know." I said. Ronnie had lived somewhat of a gang life in the past. His dad was a biker and they went around Cycling Road, terrorizing passing trainers and avoiding cops, even stealing a few Pokémon. While Ronnie has been in the back of the pack observing, he still has more experience than roughly 50% of us.

"Did you hear the rumors?" Ronnie asked as he took a Pecha berry from me and dropped it into his oatmeal, mixing it up with his spoon. "Apparently, in addition to new Pokémon, we will also get some sweet tools and gadgets, including a freaking handgun!"

"Get out of town!" I exclaimed. "There's no way they'll do that!"

"Oh, they're going to." He said. "I heard the Boss discussing it with Petrel. Just imagine the possibilities! If a strong trainer beats us in battle, we can still aim a gun at him and force him to give all of his Pokémon, as well as all of his money!"

"Except, I dunno, I think that there's a _slight_ chance that said trainer can sic their strong Pokémon on us, or rush us, or we could shoot them, get noticed, and go to jail." I said dryly.

"Don't be a Wimpod, you didn't join Team Rocket to cower!" Ronnie teased.

"True, but I didn't join to act stupid and spent the rest of my life in jail. I _kinda_ have other plans that do not involve staying in the same cell as a mass murderer in a small concrete box." I said sarcastically. "Now let's eat, the oatmeal's getting cold."

Ronnie smirked before eating his oatmeal. "OK wussy." He said.

I rolled my eyes before starting my breakfast.

*******

After breakfast, I walked up many flights of stairs with my fellow grunts to meeting area. Excited chattering filled the stairway.

"What Pokémon do you think they'll give us?"

"Maybe a Mewtwo! Those things are so powerful!"

"Don't be stupid, they'll never give legendries to mere grunts."

We went through a door and walked down the hallway. Older, more experienced Team Rocket grunts watched the newer ones, some of them sneering and making harsh comments like, "I swear they're getting skinner."

A stocky grunt leered at me. "Hey beanpole, the garden is not this way."

The new trainees stopped and looked at us. I smiled before saying, "Really, beanpole? That's the best you can do? This low level of IQ and creativity in the older grunts makes it pretty obvious why our organization fell to two children."

"OHHHHHHHH!" Ronnie yelled. "You need a freaking full heal for that burn!" His comments earned a few chuckles and giggles from the trainees and even some of the older grunts. The stocky grunt's face started turning beet red. I walked quickly away before what happened got processed in his brain and he decides to punch me. For whatever flaw I might have, I at least had a sarcastic wit. Having that kind of wit means that you have to think fast, as well as know when to duck. And also have a witness around so you can sue the guy that decided that your face will make a fine punching bag.

"Hey." I said to Ronnie. "Thanks for backing me up, man."

"No problem." Ronnie replied. "Though that burn was quite mediocre."

I shrugged. "Hey, it was all I could think of." On second thought, maybe my wit wasn't as great as I thought.

Finally we got to the main hall. A man with wispy purple hair that has thinned and greyed over time and a pitch black uniform with a big red R in the center stood waiting for us.

"Greetings, newbies!" He wheezed. "Now that we weeded out the wusses via basic training, welcome to Team Rocket! As you all know, I am Petrel."

He then went on about the same speech I heard three times since joining Team Rocket - their rise and fall and rise and fall and you guessed it - rise (once again). How they were the largest criminal organization in Kanto before the current Kanto champion, Red, beat them several years ago. How they rised three years later only to lose to the Johto champion, Ethan. How they lost hope after they thought Giovanni committed suicide. Finally, to everyone's surprise, he appeared again, claiming that his hard training and previous losses to children made him the strongest trainer alive. Bringing back the four admins - Petrel, Proton, Ariana, and Archer. Adding new rooms and floors and renovating their hideout under the Celadon game corner. Hiring more grunts and causing crime. Causing fear among the populace. How we'll one day take over the world. You know, the usual stuff.

"Now that you greenies have our rich history refreshed in your brains, we'll start off initiation!" Petrel said.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Excited chattering filled the room.

"Here in Team Rocket, we expect the best from you, as well as being able to follow orders without question." Petrel said. "Excuses are not accepted!"

The excited chattering faded away.

"If anyone fails to complete a mission, you will be punished accordingly! I don't care if you battle a freaking legendary, prodigy trainer or even the goddamn Champion! If they get in our way, eliminate them at all costs! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir! Several grunts yelled.

I raised an eyebrow in response to Petrel's comment. How on earth would anyone expect a freaking grunt to beat the Champion? If the top brass expect that, then we at least need some half-decent Pokémon so that a squad of grunts could maybe beat a strong trainer.

"Now then, I'll tell you your first mission." Petrel continued. "To raise more funds, we are reopening the Game Corner. But we need more Pokémon for prizes. Giovanni came up with the idea that we should offer Pokémon not found in Kanto as well as rare Pokémon from Kanto. A shipment of Pokémon from the Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola regions is expected to arrive in Vermilion city, smuggled in the luxury cruise liner S.S Anne. Your mission is to board that ship and retrieve said shipment to bring back to HQ. We'll provide transportation, so all you need is enough upper body strength to lift those crates.

Upper body strength? Now I'm glad that basic training occurred. That training was particularly focused on upper body strength, in addition to combat skills, marksmanship and cardiovascular strength.

"We also have intel that there'll be trainers wanting to fight others in that ship. As with any mission or any occurrence, trainers will recognize you and try to stop you. You are free to dispose of them using any methods necessary, as long as it won't bring unwanted attention to us. So NO MURDERS OR MUTULATIONS."

"Won't the police notice us?" Ronnie asked. "After all, we are going to be a large group of people dressed in black. It doesn't take an Alakazam to put two and two together to find out that we're up to no good."

"Don't worry, greenie." Petrel replied. "We bribed the police, so they'll turn a blind eye. The populace is too scared to report us anyway."

I found it amusing that a police force, whose job is to protect people and administer justice with a fine-tuned sense of right and wrong, could easily turn a blind eye at the sight of mere cash. Guess money _does_ make the world go around.

"However, that doesn't mean that you are suddenly immune to justice. While you are free to steal from anyone who you beat in a battle, just remember, as I said before, a passing trainer could have a desire to be a white knight and stop you. Other police officers could still stop you as well also. Just because most of the populace is scared doesn't mean that all of them are. Just because you can bribe some people doesn't mean that you can bribe everyone. Those annoying pricks are why evil organizations fall. Just don't be stupid, and you'll be fine."

While some of the grunts are listening, others are nodding off or whispering to their friends, talking about how bored they were and how much of a worrywart Petrel is. Petrel didn't seem to hear.

"Now then, your gear." The grunts who weren't listening started to focus on Petrel. "For those louses who don't know, I'll show you what a Pokémon is, as they'll be invaluable to your success."

He picked up a red and white ball from his belt and threw it up in the air. It opened and with a flash of blue light, a small purple and white Pokémon with big front teeth and a long tail came out.

"This is a Pokémon, called a Rattata. You will all get one of these fanged beauties for yourself." He pressed a white button on the center of the ball, and a red beam shot out of it, covering the Pokémon before shrinking it and sending it back in the ball.

I opened my mouth in shock. A Rattata? They expect us to beat trainers with a freaking Rattata?! Other grunts started complaining, realizing that such a common and relatively weak Pokémon won't do them any good. Sure, with Rattata's decent speed and early learnings of moves like Hyper Fang and Bite can help us beat some casual trainers or citizens, but travelling trainers and the Champion would destroy us easily. The only people not complaining was Ronnie and a girl with long blue hair and a lip-piercing. But they, apart from me, were the only ones.

"What are you, nuts?" One muscular guy with dark skin and big hands complained.

"We can't beat trainers with a Rattata!" A short girl with chin-length brown hair yelled.

"You're insane!" Yelled another grunt. 

" **QUIET!** " Petrel yelled, looking enraged. The grunts were silent immediately. "If you don't like it, go somewhere else! We are not a charity!"

Silence filled the room for a few seconds before I asked my question.

"But wait." I asked. "As you said before, the S.S. Anne is full of strong trainers raring to battle out of boredom and justice. How do you expected a group of fresh grunts with nothing but a most likely Level 5 Rattata to beat them?"

"Simple." He replied, calming down. "We realized that sending a bunch of grunts with untrained Pokémon is not ideal. That's why we planned ahead. The cruise ship won't arrive at the port for a week. You can use that time to train your Pokémon and obtain new ones out in the region. We even have a battle simulator in this hideout on the door to your right that will simulate a Pokémon battle. As for your Rattata, do whatever you want with it. You can sell it, trade it, train it to a Raticate. Roast the stupid thing on a stick and eat it with garlic and salt for all I care!"

"OK, but what if we're too far away from the hideout after a week, so we can't do the mission?" I inquired. "After all, I'm willing to bet that some of us do plan to go around the region to steal and battle. We could be at Cinnibar Island by the time the mission starts!"

"If that happens, your sense of time must be more pathetic than I thought." Petrel sneered.

I gritted my teeth at that thought. My sense of time is just fine, but now I realized that I asked a stupid question. After all, night and day happens, thus making it relatively easy to keep track of time.

"But just in case, there is a requirement that we have. All grunts must have at least one flying Pokémon."

"Why's that?" The short female grunt asked.

"Really? You don't know? What an idiot." The short girl reddened slightly. Petrel continued, "It's because they'll be used for transportation whenever you need them to be used. And before you ask another stupid question, any flying Pokémon will do. Because all of you will get this-" Petrel pulled out a thin small black rectangle from his belt and turned it on with a screen of blue light. "This here is a Rocketdex. We robbed a Pokedex from Professor Oak's lab years ago, and our eggheads worked on reverse-engineering the technology. I hope at least _one_ of you know what a Pokedex does."

"It records data on Pokémon you've seen or caught, right?" Asked the girl with blue hair and a lip-piercing.

"Correct. It's nice to see that at least one of you has a working brain like I do." Petrel sneered.

Some of the grunts looked offended. I smirked at the thought of Petrel having a working brain. _Petrel?_  Wasn't he the moron that decided that 5 Koffings and 1 Weezing is a good Pokémon team to fight the now Johto Champion Ethan with? Doesn't he still have the same stupid team? I mean yeah, Poison Pokémon are intimidating and fit the Team Rocket image, but an entire team of them that are all basically the same is suicidal. _He_ has a working brain? I think that the gases from his Pokémon fried the little that he had left.

"Yes, that is what a Pokedex does." Petrel said, glaring at me. Maybe he caught me smirking. "It also tells the moveset of a Pokémon and how long it'll take to level up and even has a button to stop its evolution. But the Rocketdex does that and more." He smirked and started pacing back and forth, showing the Rocketdex to everyone. "It has a satellite transmission and holographic visuals so you can contact other grunts of HQ, and vice versa. You can even contact people's phones, but I don't see why you'll do that."

The grunts started to look amazed.

"Also, this thing can digitally store TMs. If you manage to get one, just push the little button on the bottom and put the disc on top of the screen to save it in the file."

The grunts looked even more amazed.

"As for why you need the flying Pokémon.." Petrel tapped a folder marked "HMs". "These ones are only temporary. Meaning, you tap the HM and point the Rocketdex at the Pokémon you want to teach, and it'll learn that move. That move won't take up one of your 4 move slots, but will only last for 12 hours."

It can really do that? Well, at least I don't have to carry HM slaves around.

"Now then, for offensive weaponry." Petrel put the Rocketdex back in his belt and pulled out two objects - a collapsible metal rod and a handgun.

"This thing here's your stun baton." Petrel extended it with a flick of his wrist. Electricity crackled through it. Then he pushed a button on the butt of the baton, and it collapsed, electricity turned off. Then he unscrewed the bottom and shook out a silver battery. "You can't find these batteries in store. We'll give you some, but if you run out, or need anything, we have a store on the floor below for all of your needs. After all, many Pokemarts probably won't do business with Team Rocket."

That seemed understandable. After all, we are a bunch of crooks working for an evil organization, no biggie. Nothing much.

He then held up the black gun. "This here's a handgun, as you can see. Nothing much to it. Simple, cheap, and durable with a clip of 15 bullets. This can only be used in the event of an emergency. After all, like I said before, we don't want any unnecessary attention." He put the gun and baton back in his belt.

"See, what'd I tell you? Told you we'll get guns." Ronnie said excitedly to me.

I nodded in response, but I was still surprised. I mean, yeah, we had gun training, but I expected that only more seasoned, older grunts get handguns, not a bunch of teenage to young-adult rejects.

"Now for the final topic, healing." Petrel said. "We have a medical center if you need to heal yourself. Same can be said with your Pokémon, but since Pokecenters are safe havens that _any_ trainer can use, you should be able to use them, though there most likely will be some resistance. You'll all get backpacks to store items like Potions and Pokeballs, so you can stay away for longer periods. The backpacks will also contain stuff like firestarters and rations in the event of an emergency."

That stuff will be needed in case of longer missions. I doubt hotels will accept crooks, anyway.

"Now that you newbies know what's what, you're ready for action!" Petrel walked to the door behind him and pushed a button. He said, "Now all of you can go through this hall and get your equipment. Whatever's next is up to you. Now get going, and cause mayhem in the name of Team Rocket!

On that note, Petrel left for the hall on the right. Once he left, the grunts started going through the hall, chattering. Ronnie in particular went ahead to get the equipment first. I went through into a large starkly-lit hall with racks of guns, ammunition, packs with supplies, Rocketdexes and Pokeballs full of Rattata. A door with a gray plastic trash can was on the other end. I grabbed the gun and baton, putting it in my belt. I also grabbed two spare clips of ammunition and a Rocketdex to go with it. I slung a black pack on my back, opening it to examine its contents. A metallic-grey flashlight and spare batteries. A crank up-lantern. Packs of MRE's that soldiers eat. A dozen spare batteries that power the stun baton. A book of matches. Two Pokeballs and 5 Potions. 3 Antidotes, Paralyz heals and Awakenings. and  A first-aid kit with bandages, scissors, antiseptic pastes, and medicine for headaches, stomach problems, and fever. I closed the pack and went to the Pokeballs, picking up one of the red and white orbs.

"Rattata, come out." I said. The ball opened and the small Pokémon came out. The bored, and somewhat angry look on its face made it clear that I could die a slow and painful death and it wouldn't give a shit. I doubt it'll even obey my commands. I called it back and walked to the door on the far end, where most of the grunts were already. For a second I wondered why they haven't gone out, but hearing their conversation made the reason clear.

"My Rattata bit me!" Yelled the short girl from before, nursing her badly bleeding finger. "You think it's infected of something?" 

"Who knows, doubt they even care." Commented the muscular guy with big hands. "Weezy made that clear. You should have something in your pack to treat that wound."

I found it amusing that the guy nicknamed Petrel Weezy. It felt fitting, given his wheezy voice, Pokémon team, and the fact that he looks like he could croak any minute wheezing.

"You do." I said in response. "The packs have first-aid kits. There are some antiseptic pads in them." After hearing this, the girl immediately went through her pack. I can tell from the angry looks from other grunts that their Rattata had similar reactions to them. I guess I got lucky with a Rattata that wasn't as aggressive. Several were also nursing bleeding fingers. A few even went through their packs to get the first-aid kits. Even Ronnie looked pissed, though he had no wounds. The girl with the lip-piercing also had no wounds, and was the only grunt that didn't look pissed.

"I tried to tell the thing to use Tackle on the trash can to test its strength, but it ignored me and tried to bite me!" Ronnie yelled indignantly. "I mean, it's one thing to have weak Pokémon, but it's entirely another thing to have one that won't listen to you! We can't accomplish anything with this useless piece of trash!" 

Other grunts nodded in agreement, grumbling as well. I heard voices say some phrases amidst all that chatter.

"Mine tried to bite me too."

"We can't win against anyone with this thing!"

"What do we do now?"

"It's simple, isn't it?" Asked the girl with the lip-piercing loudly. The grumbling immediately silenced. "We adapt. I mean, I don't know about you guys, but my Rattata listens to me just fine. In fact, I'm even going to train this thing into a Raticate. It's sad that you do have the grit that I do."

The grunts started to get angry again. Ronnie glared at her and the short girl, now with her finger bandaged, balled her fists.

"What d'you mean we don't have the grit?" The muscular guy asked, looking irritated.

"When you see a challenge, you give up." The girl said arrogantly. "Your Rattata refuses to listen to you, so you want to abandon it. You can't pull through the path to evolve it. Talk about a bunch of quitters."

"But yours listens to you." I responded indignantly. "Ours doesn't. That _kinda_ makes it hard to train it in the first place, in case you don't have enough brain cells to know that."

"Perhaps, but most of you will still abandon it, as it isn't that strong." The girl replied with a smirk, looking unfazed by my comment. "Shows how weak-willed you are."

I gritted my teeth in anger.

"Besides, the fact that a weak level 5 Rattata won't listen to you? Just shows how pathetic you are as well." She finished.

I started to feel enraged. That girl reminded me of the people I used to deal with at school and home that gave me a rough time. I didn't come to Team Rocket to relive old memories. Without thinking, I did what I used to do at school if someone angered me so much I can't use my wit - I grabbed her by the shirt collar and slammed her into a wall so hard that she lost her wind. Granted, it never always ended well, but the ability to put someone I hate in pain, even if for a second, makes it worthwhile. The other grunts backed away. A few gasped. The short girl put her hands over her mouth. Ronnie and the muscular guy look stunned. Makes sense, since I'm a guy that is seen as more calm compared to the rest of them.

The girl I slammed into a wall had an amused look that she managed to make even when in agony, angering me even more.

"My, when you hear something you don't like, you respond violently." She said, catching her breath from getting the wind knocked out of her. "As much as I'll enjoy seeing you pounding your chest like an enraged Primeape, I have more important things to do."

"Hayden, look out!" Ronnie yelled.

I released her and jumped away reflexively. A stun baton narrowly avoided my stomach, electricity crackling. The other grunts looked shell-shocked at the fact that she tried to use a weapon on me. Said girl sneered at me.

"You're lucky you have someone looking out for you, _Hayden._ " She closed her baton and put it back in her belt. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be out getting _actual_ work done. I'd rather not waste my time fighting an loser like you." With that, she went to the door, pushed a button and it slid open, revealing flights of stairs. She walked up the stairs and vanished. Everyone was silent for a few minutes, processing what just happened.

"Well come on, let's go!" The muscular guy yelled. "We can't just stand there and let her make us look bad!" With that, he bolted for the stairs.

"He does have a point." The short girl said, following him.

The other grunts murmured in agreement. With a loud cry of defiance, they bolted up the stairs. Soon, I was the only one left in the room, alone with my thoughts. If I haven't been friends with Ronnie, I would've taken a nasty shock from that baton. Talk about being lucky.

"Maybe Mr. Lucky can be my new nickname." I said to myself with a smile. "Mr. Lucky. Yeah. That has a nice ring to it."

On second thought, maybe it's not the best nickname. It was too stupid. I stared at the Pokeball holding the Rattata. No matter what that girl said, there was no way in hell I would use this Pokémon. I'll just have to steal or catch one for myself to replace it.

With that, I bolted up the stairs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess a new one came sooner than I thought. Same thing as always, leave your comments below if you have any! A new chapter might come out in a short while. Thank you to anyone who is reading this fanfic, you all are amazing!


	3. Chapter 3

I walked up the stairs, feeling excited. Finally, this is my chance to do something with my life! A chance to prove that I'm worth something! After all, since I can't be productive as a citizen of society, I might as well be productive as a criminal of an evil organization. 

I exited the HQ and went into the Game Corner, walking to the door. You could tell that once upon a time it was incredibly popular. But now things are different. The games are offline and a few have broken screens. Cobwebs lined every nook and cranny of the room. The counter where people bought coins was covered with a fine inch of dust. Dirty bootprints covered the floor. The only sign of life here was this one grunt guarding a poster that had the secret switch to open the door to HQ.

"Fresh meat." He said loudly.

I looked at him, confused. "Pardon?" My hand was hovering over the doorknob. 

He stared at me, looking a bit suprised. "Fresh meat. You know, newbie, new grunt? For crying out loud, your hair is even pink!"

"So? What's it to you?" I felt a bit embarrassed at my new nickname. And I thought Mr. Lucky was bad!

"Nothing much." He said. "I was always on guard duty as a grunt. I couldn't do field missions because I _barely_ failed my physical training. Day and night, I've stood guard over this poster. Then some new guy would take my place after four hours. And that was my life."

"What's your point?" I asked. I really wanted to leave the building so I can start my life of crime.

"Since I did such a good job guarding, the Boss thought about letting me do field work. But a punk named Red beat me and infiltrated the HQ." He gritted his teeth as he relieved this memory. "The Boss was so pissed, I was forced to do guard duty in other places until Team Rocket disbanded. Even when whey they've revived twice, my failure led me to still do guard duty. I could've redeemed myself if I've beaten another punk, but none turned up that I could beat."

"So?" I felt cold at the thought. I didn't join Team Rocket to do some stupid guard duty job. I joined to make a name for myself, to show my disbelievers that I can accomplish something.

"Just don't be stupid. Take risks, but be reasonable. Now if you need me, I'll be counting the holes in the ceiling for the millionth time..." With that, he looked up. 

He looked bored and sad as I walked out of the door.

*******

I went outside of the Game Corner. The street of said corner once flourished, but the closure of the Game Corner meant that the street would be abandoned, as there were no jobs left. It was a ghost town, or ghost street, owned by Team Rocket. As I looked around, i saw Ronnie waiting for me outside of the Game Corner. The muscular dark-skinned guy with big hands and the short girl with chin-length brown hair were with him.

"Hey, Hayden! We've been waiting for you!" He said as he waved his hand. The other guy simply nodded and the girl raised a hand in greeting.

"Hey man, what's up?" I asked as I ran to them.

"Not much. Just that I decided to team up with Anna and Daniel here. We need another member. Wanna join?"

"Sure." I said. I looked at the short girl, Anna, and the muscular boy, Daniel. "Why are we teaming up?"

"So that we can cover more ground." Anna responded friendily. I now noticed that she was a head shorter than me. "We can go alone on solo training, then if something happens, we'll communicate via Rocketdex and go to said area. Of course, we can travel as a group, but less work will be done and area explored."

"Also, the increased efficiency means that we'll be the best grunts in the organization." Daniel said, smiling. He looked even more muscular close up. "The fact that a bunch of "quitters" will be the best means that Alexis will blow a fuse!"

"Alexis? Who's that?" I asked, puzzled.

"You don't know? She's the blue-haired chick that almost tasered you. What I wouldn't give to see her get crushed by a herd of Tauros..."

"By the way, you owe me one, Hayden." Ronnie smirked. "If it weren't for me, she would've made a fool out of you."

I almost felt embarassed remembering how I reacted. Oh well, I'll beat her not by using my fists, but by being the best.

"Also, FYI, you can't just hit a girl out of anger." Ronnie said, looking serious. "You might be a gangster, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't abandon all morals. We aren't monsters after all."

"Sure, whatever. I'll keep that in mind." I responded. Considering her arrogance, that'll be a daunting task, but a doable one nonetheless, since I would rather not be possibly humiliated.

"So for the team thing, flying Pokémon will be needed most likely, am I right?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation back to less embarrassing grounds.

"Yes." Anna responded. "Logically, we need them to get to longer distances quicker. Petrel made that clear."

"You mean Weezy, right?" Daniel smirked.

She looked scandalized at the comment.

"It's just a nickname, right?" Ronnie asked, frowning. "What's the fuss about?"

"Don't mind her." Daniel replied with a grin. "I went to the same middle school as her. She's a teacher's pet and a stickler for the rules."

Anna turned red at the comment. "No I'm not!" She said, embarassed. "If I was, why did I join Team Rocket?"

"Because the popular girls at your school bullied you. Everyone had expectations for you. So you wanted to defy them and get revenge." Daniel looked more serious now.

I felt suprised at Anna's reason. It really wasn't that different from mine. In fact, it was basically the same! I always assumed that my reason for joining Team Rocket was basically unique. Guess that's not the case.

I might be somewhat dimwitted emotionally, but even I could tell that Anna did not want to have this conversation about her past life. So I tried to steer the conversation away from that particular topic.

"So Ronnie, why d'you join Team Rocket?" I asked. I did this because I never asked before and knowing Ronnie, he'll try to boast about his life of crime.

"Glad you asked, Hayden!" Ronnie said with a broad grin. "I was born to be bad from the very beginning. Ever since I was ten, I rode at the back of my dad's bike gang..."

He continued on about the crime that his gang did and the fights they got into with rival gangs. Daniel seemed to be listening well. I looked at Anna, who looked relieved as she mouthed the words "Thank you" to me. I responded with a look that hopefully meant "Don't mention it" before turning back to Ronnie.

"...then the stupid police arrested my father and several others, so the gang disbanded. I needed a new gang to join, so I joined Team Rocket! What about you, Daniel?"

"Nothing much." He said with a shrug. "Dad and mom were once grunts. Loved their life of crime. They died last year, so I decided to honor them by joining Team Rocket."

"Deep." I said.

"Not as much as you think. I also joined Team Rocket because I'm not much good at anything else. So, I thought we were talking about getting flying Pokémon."

"We did." I responded, now remembering the whole teamwork thing. "So we need four Pokémon that can learn Fly."

"First we need to find them." Anna mused. "I think we should save our Pokeballs for more important things, since we only have two. So we have to steal them."

"OK, but how do we do that?" Daniel asked. "After all, our Rattata won't listen to us. Maybe it's because we're in Team Rocket, I heard that they were caught brutally in a net..."

"We could find a trainer and point a gun at them." Ronnie suggested. "If we do that, then we won't need to battle..."

"The problem is that we're in a densely populated city." Anna countered. "That'll draw too much attention to us. The police will be after our hide..."

For five minutes, they kept on suggesting variations of Ronnie's plan - stealing via brute force. However, each one had flaws that prevented them from being carried out. I was trying to figure out on my own the solution. If only we could battle a newbie trainer with our Rattata. Too bad they hate us...

Wait, that's it!

"Hey Hayden." Anna said, snapping her fingers, bringing me back to reality. "You haven't suggested anything yet."

"Well, I do have one plan..." I said reluctantly.

"What is it?" Ronnie asked.

"We find a newbie trainer, beat them in battle and take their flying Pokémon."

"We can't do that!" Daniel protested. "Don't you remember, our Rattata hate our guts!"

"I know that." I replied. "I'm going to use that to our advantage." 

What d'you mean?" Ronnie asked, looking bewildered.

"I'll show you. Send out your Rattata. Trust me."

Ronnie reluctantly took out Rattata's Pokeball and called it out. Anna and Daniel followed suit before I did. The four Rattata sat in a row, glaring at me.

I bent down and looked at them. "Hey, I know you hate our guts. I'll let you know that the feeling's mutual."

"Damn right." Ronnie muttered under his breath. The Rattata continued to glare at me, not caring about Ronnie's comment.

"But we have something we want from each other. We want flying Pokémon.  You want to be released. So how about we strike a deal?" I proposed

The Rattata now looked confused.

"We are going to battle trainers and steal their flying Pokémon. But we need you guys to battle. So here's the deal: you obey our commands in battle and in return we'll release you when we get flying Pokémon. So what do you say?"

The Rattata seemed to be chattering amongst themselves. After a few seconds, they all nodded in agreement.

I returned mine to its Pokeball. "See how my plan will work?"

Ronnie, Anna, and Daniel returned their Rattata to their Pokeballs as well.

"Great plan, Hayden!" Ronnie said, looking enthusiastic.

"I agree." Daniel said with equal elation.

"This plan has flaws, but it's better than nothing." Anna said, looking confident and beaming. 

"Good." I said, trying to conceal my grin. I said something and people are listening to me! No one ever did that when I was a kid, they all thought I was stupid because of my mediocre marks! Well, here I am proving them wrong. "Now let's go and steal some birds!"

I ran off to get out of the abandoned street and into the main city, my comrades following me.

 


	4. Chapter 4

It's amazing how the scenery changes so quickly. A minute ago we were in a dark, abandoned street. Now we're in a bustiling, colourful city. Coloured cars drove through the streets. Skyscrapers seemed to be endless in their expansion upwards. People were all around, chattering on their phones or walking to their destination. A few recognized us, but also tried to avoid us, walking away faster to avoid confrontation. Shows that Petrel was right about most of the populace being scared of us.

"You see any trainers?" Daniel asked.

"None that looks beatable." I mused. "Or is willing to even fight us in the first place."

Ronnie and Anna looked around, analyzing possible victims. It seems that everyone was trying to avoid our gaze. Makes sense, considering who we are. But right now, I don't care. I just wanted to find a flying Pokémon so that I can ditch this stupid Rattata and get on with my life. As we went on, we saw a young man on his phone with a Doduo next to him. Seeing opportunity, we quickly walked towards him.

"Hello, young man, might you be interested in - " I started before the young man looked up. At the sight of me, his face went pale and he ran away, his Doduo running beside him. Everyone else in the crowd avoided our gazes.

"Really,  _"Hello_ , _young_ _man?"_ Ronnie asked sarcastically, turning towards me. "Hayden, you're a criminal, not a salesperson!"

I felt embarrassed. "Well sorry, it was all I could think of!"

"Whatever." He smirked and turned back. I looked at Anna and Daniel, hoping they'll back me up, but they too we're sniggering. Daniel even had his finger and thumb in the shape of an "L" on his forehead. I gave him the finger before turning around, looking for a new victim. I need to sound more cruel next time.

*******

One trainer came around and confronted us as we walked through a small neighbourhood. She had the look of a traveler with worn out sneakers, jeans and a white t-shirt with the first three gym badges pinned on it. She wore an overstuffed backpack and had braided dark-brown hair and dark eyes with a small amount of freckles on her face. She looked determined and angry. The bunches of people around immediately hurried away, trying to avoid the scene.

I felt wary at the sight of her. Ronnie looked excited and Anna turned stone still. Daniel even took a step back.

"What do you want?" Daniel asked.

"Team Rocket." She said boldly. "I should've known that you hung around here."

"What made you guess, the fact that this city has our secret base?" I asked sarcastically. Now _this_ is how criminals talk to others, I think. "As much as I would love to play "Talk with the total retard and waste my precious time", we have more important things to do. So why don't you move along?"

Ronnie snickered. Tears formed in her eyes at my comment. "I-I'm not a retard!"

"You bust out of nowhere to make an overly dramatic and obvious statement. Of course you're a retard." I snapped, irritated and wanting her to get out of her way.

"W-Well, whatever!" She said, wiping away the tears. "I know you're up to no good!"

"What makes you think that? We're just walking around." Ronnie said with a smirk. "Is it now illegal to walk in a city we live in?"

"Don't play dumb, you're obviously going to commit a crime! That's why you're out and about!" She yelled. "And I'm here to stop you before you even do it!" With that, she detached a Pokeball from her belt.

 _"Crap, not good."_ I thought. She had three badges, so she must be a talented trainer, even if she is a retard. I could tell the others recognized that as they looked uneasy, Ronnie having a forced smile in an attempt to act tough. I could tell that we'll all lose quickly against her. Thinking fast, I stepped towards her, pointing at the gun on my belt.

She lowered the Pokeball.

"You recognize what this is, right?" I sneered. 

The colour drained from her face. She didn't respond.

"I'll take that as a yes. Now if you don't butt out I'll put two in your head."

With that, I pulled the gun from my holster.

Before I could say something cool like "You have five seconds", she turned around and ran away.

I smirked and put the gun back. "Coward". Daniel looked amazed while Ronnie was laughing at her running. Anna, however, looked outraged.

She glared at me. "What are you, suicidal? You know that we'll all get in trouble if you decide to kill her or pull out your stupid gun! And what were you doing, playing around with her life like that, thinking that you can basically do anything?!"

I felt suprised at her anger. "I wasn't going to  _actually_ kill her!" I retorted. "I was bluffing!" Granted, my action was too impulsive, but it certainly doesn't justify her reaction.

" _Bluffing!?_ Hayden, you look like you were going to actually freaking kill her! I don't want to get in trouble because of your stupid decisions! I would understand if you were threatened, but you almost killed her just because you wanted to!" Anna looked as though she would slap me or something. Seriously, what was her problem?

"How many times do I have to tell you I was bluffing?!" I yelled, irritated.

"That's the problem! You're basically doing this for your own sick pleasure! You can't treat people lives like they are a joke, a game!"

I balled my fists. _Sick pleasure?_ Who does she think I am? Some sadist that just wants to harm others? I'm not anything like that! I was about to yell at her about how cowardly she is when Ronnie stepped in between us.

"Hey idiots, stop arguing! You're wasting our time!" He said firmly, yet trying to conceal a grin. The surprising authority in his voice caused the two of us to shut up.

Things were silent for a few minutes. Then -

"She does have a point." Daniel responded, now frowning after he took her words into account. "That action was a bit suicidal."

I resisted the urge to do a facepalm. Oh _great_ , now Daniel is taking Anna's side. Why are they afraid? We're criminals after all! Yes, it was suicidal and risky, but what choice did we have?

"Either way, that was genius!" Ronnie howled, giving me a slap on the back in approval. "That arrogant rich kid ran away with her tail between her legs!"

I smiled at the fact that Ronnie backed me up. I could always count on him. Then I frowned. _Wait, rich kid?_ I turned to Ronnie. "What made you think that she's rich?"

Ronnie looked suprised. "You really don't know, Hayden? If you want to do the Pokémon League challenge, you have to pay an expensive start-up fee of around several hundreds of thousands of Pokedollars. Combine that with the cost to buy one of those rare starter Pokémon, Pokémon food and supplies, it adds up greatly. You have to be rolling in the dough to be a Trainer."

To be honest, I never really thought much about the cost of being a trainer. Thinking about it now, it makes sense that the cost will be really high. Makes sense, with the repairs to battlefields in gyms after tough battles, breeding of rare starter Pokémon, the manufacturing of Pokémon goods and the sort. Also, Gym Leaders and Elite Four members need to get their paycheque from _somewhere._ It also makes me wonder if resentment is why some people join Team Rocket. Maybe they always wanted to be a trainer, but their parents couldn't afford the start-up costs. Which'll leave them just watching as their friends achieve their dreams and accomplish things that they never can, making them bitter and resentful of society...

"Hayden, you in there?" Ronnie snapped his fingers in my face, making me lose my train of thought.

"Yeah." I responded. "I was just thinking."

"Well, we don't have the time for that! We have Pokémon to steal! We can't just stand around all day!" With that, Ronnie ran off.

"Hey, wait for me!" Daniel complained, running after him.

Anna and I followed suit, Anna still not looking happy about my actions.

  *******

We kept on running until we saw the Pokecenter. Groups of people were around, chattering. A few looked away when they saw us, though.

"How 'bout we check out the Pokecenter? There's bound to be something there." Ronnie suggested.

"Attacking a hospital? Doesn't that seem kinda low, even for us?" Anna asked.

"Well, no one here is willing to fight us. And those that do will probably be seasoned trainers." Ronnie replied.

"The problem is that this is Celadon City, home of the fourth gym leader." I said. "The trainers resting their will have at least partially evolved Pokémon, even if they're tired. All we have is untrained Level 5 Rattata. We'll get creamed hands down."

"How about we bluff?" Daniel suggested. "We could pretend that we're strong and - "

"The bluff would be too thin." I said. "It relies on experienced trainers fearing Team Rocket. We need a new target."

"Why don't we split up?" Anna suggested, not looking at me. "We'll go different directions, and contact one another when we find something interesting.

"Better than wasting the whole day walling around." I said, wanting for this to be over so bad I didn't even care. Also, I would rather prefer not to have her give me the cold shoulder.

"Sure, why not?" Daniel also said.

"I'm game." Ronnie replied. 

"It's settled. If we don't find anything, we'll meet back at HQ in 3 hours. Now let's go!" With that, Anna ran off in one direction. Ronnie and Daniel followed suit, running in different directions. That just leaves me alone in front of the Pokecenter, thinking of what's my next move. Maybe I could ambush a trainer when they are going to the center. I did say it'll be risky and suicidal, but I can't think of other options.

I must have stood there for 10 minutes when I heard quick footsteps, like running. Then -

**"STOP RIGHT THERE!"**

Surprised, I turned around behind me. A young, short, stout boy who looked like he was about ten glared at us, pointing his finger dramatically. He had blond hair and his pudgy face looked surprisingly angry. His fist held a clear plastic bag filled with water, with a cramped Tentacool inside. The crowd seemed to thin, as people recognized what could happen and is trying to avoid that scene. A few still stood around, some taking out their cell phones to record the scene.

Finally, a trainer that looks weak enough for me to handle! "What do you want?"

"I know who you are! You're Team Rocket!" The young boy yelled. "You're here to rob the Pokecenter, aren't you?"

I looked at the Tentacool in the bag. It seemed to be looking at me. If it could talk, I sure it would say "help me". 

"So, what if I am?" I asked, trying to look cool.

"I'll stop you!" He pulled out a Pokeball. I was thinking about using my gun trick again like I did with the trainer from earlier, but before I could even touch my pistol, the plump boy threw his Pokeball. It opened with a flash, showing a bulky, grey Pokémon with a horn on its head, four stubby legs and rock-like armour.

"A Rhyhorn." I said. Crap! This thing's a Rock and Ground type, as well as having a high attack stat. My Rattata would barely stand a chance against that. And the Rhyhorn has got such thick hide, I doubt even bullets will be effective.

I felt apprehensive at the sight of it. If I wanted to beat this thing, I would need more Pokémon. Then I saw the Tentacool in the bag. Maybe it could help me. I just need to free it somehow... wait! I might have an idea!

I walked up to the boy. "I'll like to see you try." I said smugly. Now that I'm thinking about it, I was wondering if I've just gone crazy. Well, considering that my plan has many different ways it could go wrong, maybe I am.

"Rattata, come out!" I yelled, throwing my Pokeball as well. The purple-and-white rat came out, but immediately cowered at the sight of the Rhyhorn.

"A Rattata, you're going to lose!" the boy said loudly. "It's attacks will barely work against Rhyhorn - "

"Who said I was going to attack your Rhyhorn?" I asked. Remembering a move Rattata could know, I yelled "Use Quick Attack on the bag the boy's holding!"

The Rattata had a white aura around it as it zigged and zagged through the ground fastly. The boy stumbled back a few steps, but Rattata hit the bag, causing it to break and the Tentacool to fall out. Looking thankful, it immediately scurried towards me.

"Hey, I won that at a fair! Come back!" The boy pursued the Tentacool, but the Tentacool fired poisonous barbs, hitting the boy in the legs. He fell down, sobbing in pain from the Poison Sting. The civilians gasped. His Rhyhorn looked at its master with a mixture of shock and disgust.

The Tentacool looked up at me, looking thankful.

"No problem." I said to it. "But I need a favour. Can you help me beat this trainer?"

The Pokémon looked content as it nodded. I pulled out the Rocketdex to find out its moves and other information. It is Level 10, male and has Clear Body for its ability. It's moves are Poison Sting, Supersonic, Acid and Muddy Water. Muddy Water is most likely an egg move, as I don't remember Tentacool learning that move via leveling up. I was about to order Tentacool to use Muddy Water to attack the boy's Rhyhorn when I heard angry complaints.

"Rhyhorn, use Horn Attack! Come on, why aren't you listening to me?" I looked up to see the boy look agitated at his dozing Rhyhorn, who seems to not care about his trainer. "Why do you never obey me? **WHY?!** "

I wanted to laugh. "You mean your own Pokémon won't listen to you?" 

"Shut up, I have others!" He picked up another Pokeball. "Murkrow, come out!" A small, black crow with hat-like thing on top of its head emerged from the Pokeball. "Use Peck!" With that, the Murkrow's beak glowed white and it sped towards Tentacool.

"Counter with Supersonic!" I yelled. The Tentacool fired nearly invisible sonic waves at the Murkrow. The Murkrow altered its course and hit the ground.

"No Murkrow, what are you doing?!" The boy screamed in desperation.

I pointed at it. "Now use Muddy Water!" A torrent of brown water came shooting out of the Tentacool, hitting the Murkrow and sending it sliding far back. The people nearby instantly jumped away. One even dropped his phone, which partially shattered when it came into contact with the asphalt.

The Murkrow tried to get up, but it couldn't. The Rhyhorn was no longer dozing, instead it was staring at me with mild interest.

I heard the boy beg for his Murkrow to get up, but I knew that it was no use. "Finish it with Acid." I said quietly and calmly.

The Tentacool fired a stream of purple liquid. The Murkrow screamed in pain and flailed when it came into contact with it. Some of the splashes hit the ground, sizzling. Finally, it stopped flailing. It was Knocked Out.

The boy fell to his knees before me. "N-No. T-This can't be happening... T-This can't..." His face showed pure shock. The crowd looked just as shocked. A few people even ran away. The Rattata that I had scurried away, thinking that it already held up its end of the bargain.

I walked up to the boy. "I won. Now give me your Rhyhorn and Murkrow."

"I won't." He said quietly, not even looking at me. 

"You don't have a choice." I said forcefully. "I could kill you if I wanted to."

Some of the crowd looked fearful as they heard my words. "Someone call the cops!" I heard a voice yell. "Someone stop him!" I heard someone else yell. But no one came to stop me. No one wanted to confront me.

 _"Do it."_ I thought smugly. It'll be fun to destroy the Celadon Police. I then looked back to the boy. "Well?"

The boy wordlessly picked two Pokeballs out of his belt and reluctantly handed them over to me. I snatched them away and used one Pokeball to return Murkrow back to me. Putting it in my belt, I then grabbed the second Pokeball and stared at Rhyhorn. It seemed to have a menacing look as it stared at me for what seemed like a while. Then it closed its eyes and bowed slightly. Taking it as a cue that it now obeys me, I returned it back to its Pokeball, putting it in my belt.

I felt something touch my leg. I looked down and saw the Tentacool poking at me while staring.

I bent down. "Hey, do you want to come with me? You're a great battler!" I said while smiling.

The Tentacool nodded, looking content. I then took of my pack, grabbed a Pokeball, and touched the white button on the Pokémon. The ball open and the Tentacool went inside. After shaking three times, the Pokeball made a sound and stars burst out.

Smiling, I put that Pokeball in my belt also. As I put my pack on, I couldn't help but feel incredibly happy. After all, not only did I beat a trainer, I also got rid of my stupid Rattata and got in its place a Tentacool, Rhyhorn, and Murkrow. Not a bad catch.

I felt confident as I stood up. I smiled at the terrified faces of the crowd, as not even one person bothered to stop me out of fear that I'll rob them next. After all, I showed how powerful I am! What could possibly go wrong? I can take out any opponent! This train of thought went for a few minutes, people staring in fear of me.

Then my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of wailing sirens.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks to everyone reading this fic, you rock!
> 
> Now before you continue on into this chapter, I have a quick announcement. Because of some hasty posting, I been changing dialogue in the story. I'll try to look it over and not do that anymore, but you should probably reread Chapters 1 and 4 specifically. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter, in which we learn a little bit more about Hayden!

I turned around and looked behind me. A cop car was rounding the corner at a distance and was fastly approaching. I instantly felt nervous as I tried to think fast. I know I said I wanted to take on the Celadon Police, but now thinking about it, that might not be an optimal move as they can be way stronger than I expected. Me and my big mouth - or in this case, brain.  _"Don't be stupid."_ A phrase that Petrel said when we got equipment. I wonder how he would feel if I got arrested due to a stupid action in the form of stealing from a kid while there was a crowd surrounding me. Probably not on my top 10 greatest ideas list.

 _But wait._ I wouldn't have to risk getting arrested if I destroy them before they arrive, right?

With nothing to lose, I picked up and threw a Pokeball from my belt. Rhyhorn came out. Remembering what the little boy said, I yelled, "Use Horn Attack on the police car!"

Rhyhorn charged toward the car, its horn glowing white, but more intensely than Murkrow's beak. The car tried to swerve away, but Rhyhorn hit the side near the left front door so hard that it crumpled. The car instantly flew back, crashing top first onto the side of a semi truck, which tipped over and slammed the road with a large sound.

The crowd screamed. A few even ran off, including the fat boy. Smiling, I held out my Pokeball and returned the Rhyhorn.

As I put the ball back into my belt, I felt a rush of triumph, of adrenaline. A pool of blood oozed out from the crumpled police car. The police logo was so damaged from the impact with the Horn Attack that I could barely make out the CCPF logo - which stands for Celadon City Police Force -

 _Wait a minute. Blood? As in, the thing that keeps humans alive?  The liquid that leaks out when you - when you -_ I felt my heart drop to my stomach.

The rest that stayed behind now ran away, screaming, also seeing the ever increasing blood pool. I couldn't blame them. The little confidence I had left vanished at the scene, as well as my elation for my victory over the boy. Oh God, did I just _kill_ someone?

I rushed towards the damaged cop car. _I can't believe I just killed someone! I never killed anyone before!_ I started panicking. I wanted to disable their car, not kill them! I didn't think, and now someone died because of me!

Suddenly I got a flashback from not too long ago. A short girl with chin-length brown hair glaring at me. Anna. After I threatened to shoot a trainer who was getting in our way. She got angry at me for daring to do so.

 _"That's the problem! You're basically doing this for your own sick pleasure! You can't treat people lives like they are a joke, a game!"_ She yelled back then after I said that I was bluffing. I remember feeling angry at the thought of basically being called a sadist. But now, thinking back, isn't that what I was at the time? I did smirked at the trainer. Enjoyed seeing her run away for annoying me. _Loving the fact that she was at my mercy, that I could've killed her..._

Suddenly I thought back to when I joined Team Rocket. That was because I couldn't be what others wanted me to be, so I wanted to show them that I could do something. But what if that wasn't the only reason? I remember thoughts and daydreams I once had, being a gangster, causing fear among the populace, _having my enemies and doubters beg for mercy before them as I threaten them -_

I shook it off. What am I thinking? I stopped running towards the police car, burying my face in my hands. I didn't want to be a killer, I'm not one! I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not...

After a short pause, a voice in my head said;

_"What does it matter if you killed them! You didn't know that was going to happen! Besides, you're a criminal for crying out loud, what does it matter if you do?!"_

I took away my face away from my hands. That's right, it doesn't matter. I'm a criminal. We're supposed to kill if necessary. Besides, it wasn't like I wanted to kill them, it was just an accident, that's right... Thinking back, I could've died if I fought back. It was just self-defence, that's all. Self-defence...

With that, I walked to the police car.

  *******

The smell of gasoline filled the air as I approached the remains of the car. It is an utter wreck. The blood stopped leaking out to form a large pool around the wreckage.

I heard a groan behind the car. I saw a bloodstained police officer try to drag himself away with his arms, a bloodstained police cap in his right hand. He had red hair that was streaked with an unnatural red that didn't come from dye. He left a trail of blood as he moved. Without thinking, I rushed towards him. The officer saw me coming. His eyes widened with fear. He seemed to know that I was the one who wrecked the car. He tried to face me, his fearful eyes now defiant. Something about him looked familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on it. I could tell that he felt the same way.

"Y-yooouuuuuuuu..." The police officer hissed.

I felt a rush of dread. Why was I feeling that? I'm a criminal! "What about me?" I asked, trying not to sound scared.

"W-whhhhhyyyyyyy... H-hhhaaayyyydddeeeennn... Y-you w-weren't a... a.... a b-bad p-person....." He then stopped moving.

And never moved again.

I was left staring at his corpse. At the corpse of a man, at the pinnacle of health, killed so suddenly and unnaturally. A man who seemingly knew me, though I didn't remember him. A man who thought I was a good person, judging by whathe he said. He looked as if he was old enough to have kids around my age. Then I remembered something. It was from an assembly I had in school when I was little, about six or seven. A police officer came in to explain his job and equipment. He mentioned that in a police officer's cap, they kept a photo of their loved ones inside. 

Then I remembered. That police officer was him...

*******

_"As you can see, we police officers care very much about our family. That's why we keep precious photos in our hats." He took it off and gave it to me. I was sitting on the floor of the classroom with my classmates. This was a happier time, one where people didn't have unrealistic expectations for me._

_I passed it to the boy next to me, uninterested. I was more interested in the pepper spray and the taser and espically the handgun. Too bad that he wouldn't pass those around. I couldn't wait to be a police officer so I could use them on crooks!_

_The officer looked at me and frowned. "Hey Hayden. That's your name, right?"_

_The class instantly looked at me. I felt suprised. "How did you know my name?"_

_"Your teacher told me. She said that a young boy with pink hair wanted to be a police officer when he grew up."_

_I felt embarrassed at the comment. I did show that desire by always drawing police cars and constantly saying it._

_He then looked at me with more focus. "Why do you want to be a cop?"_

_That was an easy question. "You know, for the action! Kicking down doors and beating up criminals sounds awesome!" I said excitedly, raising my fist in the air."_

_He shook his head, disappointed. "That's a naive answer."_

_Back then, I didn't know what naive meant. But I knew enough that I know that he didn't like my answer. I felt confused as I asked, "Why not? I thought that's what police officers do!"_

_"On rare occasions yes." He answered. "But most of the time we don't do anything that action-packed."_

_"Wow, being a police officer must be boring." I said dejectedly._

_He suddenly looked stern. "We don't do it for entertainment. We don't do it for glory. We do it because it's the right thing to do! Regardless of whatever sacrifices we may have to make, even our own lives, we'll gladly make them if that means we can keep our cities safe!"_

_"Sorry." I muttered, looking down. I felt horrible._

_His expression became softer. "It's OK. At least you realized your mistake. Most people refuse to admit their's. Admiting your mistakes and flaws, as well as trying to fix them is a quality of a good person. As long as you're willing to do the right thing, you'll make a fine cop."_

_I looked up. "Really?"_

_"Of course, why would I lie to you?" He replied with a smile._

_I smiled back, instantly feeling a lot better._

*******

That's how the dead cop knew me from before. He must've remembered me after all these years. And now I killed him. This felt somewhat ironic. I wanted to be a cop, but I became a criminal instead.

 _"Get a grip."_ I told myself. I should leave the scene now. More police will definitely arrive if I longer here for too long. But I couldn't. I just stared at the cap. 

I didn't want to take the bloodstained cap from the police officers dead hands. I also didn't want to find out if he had a wife, or kids, or parents, or aunts or uncles or siblings or cousins that were expecting him to come home, only to be told by the CCPF that he was killed in the line of duty. By me. Yet, I still had a desire to know above else. With mild difficulty, I pried the cap from his dead hands, then looked inside.

There were a few blood drops on the laminated photo, but it was miraculously clean enough for me to see the family. I saw the man I killed, wearing a grey t-shirt with blue jeans and sunglasses. He was smiling broadly. A blond woman who looked to be around the same age as him was right beside him, beaming in her sundress. She was hugging from behind an uncomfortable looking blond boy who was chubby -

 _Wait. A chubby blond boy?_ That was the boy who tried to stop me, the boy whose Rhyhorn and Murkrow I took. That boy whose father I now killed. Guilt isn't a strong enough word for how I feel.

Besides him was a tall and thin girl wearing jeans and a white tank top with straight red hair, who looked happy, like -

 _I recognize the girl._ One of the kids at my old high school. Courtney Blackwell.

Memories started to flash in my head. _Oh God, not now, not -_

*******

_It was in Grade 9. I had to take Phys. Ed. A game of soccer. I was goalie. A ball came swerving in my face. Naturally, I dodged it, as that was the only thing I did when something like that happened. Because of that, my team lost the game, 1-2. Coach then told us to change. My teammates were angry at me with comments like, "Why did you dodge the ball? Are you a pussy or something?" and mostly, "Why can't you be more like Nathan? I heard he was a star!" As my middle school classmates and teachers asked the exact same question before, I wasn't too bothered and gave apathetic answers that didn't sound so bad as to get a fist in my face. I might get in a fight if I'm angry, but I have enough brains to know that I most likely won't win if I decided to fight my entire gym class. Not that I usually won even if it was fair... Wow, I seem to like dissing myself._

_I sat alone in front of my locker at lunch. I ate my sandwich while listening to some music on my phone through my earbuds. I felt the gut-thudding bass shake my eardrums. Then I saw some people pointing at me, making comments as they walked past me. Confused, I took off my earbuds to hear what is being said by them._

_"I can't believe that she's sitting with him."_

_"What is she, nuts?"_

_"Is she trying to drag herself down to his level by sitting next to her?"_

_I frowned. Who the hell would sit next to me? I looked to my left and saw a young woman in the same jeans and tank top that she wore in that photo I saw in the future. She was reading a book._

_She looked up and turned to face me, smiling. "Hello Hayden, how are you?" Her smile suddenly made me feel alot better, like my duty is to ensure that people like her always smile._

_I was speechless. No one ever bothers sitting next to me. She might be average in the high school, but she would be looked down on for talking to me._

_"Oh sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." She said politely. "My name is Courtney Blackwell. What is your name?"_

_I felt wary. "What's your motive?" I asked with caution._

_She looked surprised. "What do you mean by motive? I'm just doing this because I wanted to hang out with you. You do seem like a cool guy after all." She smiled again, giving me that same feel good feeling again. "So, what's your name?" She asked again._

_At that instant I felt a desire to tell her that I'm Hayden Crowder. A desire to listen to what she has to say and give my input. A desire to tell her about all of my problems, from my condescending parents to my fears, worries, and doubts, as well as my passions. But mixed in with all that elation was something else._

_A rush of cynicism._

_She's probably doing this to make herself feel better by hanging out with a loser like me. She can brag about it in social media and be praised around the world for being nice. She might even say that I have a serious mental disorder to make her seem like an even better person._

_Whatever it was, there was no way in hell I would drag myself down just because of a pretty face. The positive emotion I felt vanished, replaced by anger. So I glared at her. "What's it to you, idiot?" I asked coldly._

_She looked shocked as I stood up and put my phone in my hoodie pocket. I crammed the rest of my sandwich into my mouth before walking away._

*******

That scene flashed in my head as I stared at the corpse. Once it was over, I tried to think about my next move, but I couldn't.  _"Killing someone does have a tendency to scramble your brain."_ I thought with highly bitter sarcasm. I couldn't believe that I had two flashbacks in one day. This never happened before. Not that the flashbacks are my biggest concern.

But yeah, I killed someone. And now his friends and family will call for my blood.

"I'm sorry." I said to the cop. It probably didn't matter as he was already dead. Besides, "I'm sorry" didn't feel like an appropriate way to respond to this.

 _Buzz buzz._ The Rocketdex started buzzing on my belt I pulled it out and turned it on. A holographic image of Ronnie popped up.

He grinned. "Hey Hayden, did you find any flying Pokémon?"

"One." I replied. "A Murkrow." I felt unenthusiastic.

"Hey, why do your gloves have bloodstains on them?" He asked.

I looked at my gloves. I didn't notice that. Finally I muttered, "I killed two cops."

Ronnie's eyes widened. "Woah, really?"

"Yeah." I said, feeling bad. A cop car came after me when I stole a Rhyhorn and Murkrow from a kid, so I had Rhyhorn ram the car and it flipped over... I didn't mean to kill them or anything..." The guilt started to weigh me down, until I wasn't sure if I could even move anymore.

"It's not your fault." Ronnie said, waving my dejectedness aside. "They were going to arrest you anyways. In this world, it's kill or be killed. You simply had no choice but to kill."

I looked up, starting to feel better. "Really?"

Ronnie looked surprised at my question. "Yeah, of course! You don't want to spend the rest of your life in the slammer, do you? You want to stay free, you have to make tough choices. I learned that during the time in my dad's gang." 

I started to feel better. Yeah, that's right. It's an Arcanine eat Arcanine world.

"But I didn't call to hear about this." Ronnie said, getting back on track.

"Then what did you call for?" I asked.

"I found some trainers to battle at Saffron City. I think we can take them. But you already have good Pokémon..."

"No, I'll come, I'll want the battle experience." I replied hastily.

Ronnie grinned. "That's great! Now head on over to Saffron City, near the Psychic gym!" He then hung up.

I put the Rocketdex back on my belt. Then I ran for Saffron City, away from the wreckage I caused.

" _It'll be alright."_ I thought.  _"I just have to shove this away in my brain. Then I'll never be reminded about it, ever again. Never, ever, ever, ever..."_

Little did I know how wrong I was.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, more of my mediocre writing...
> 
> In all honesty, I should really start thinking this through more... still, thanks to everyone reading this, I guess...
> 
> Wait, someone left a kudos? Yay I don't suck!
> 
> *throws confetti*
> 
> Also warning, insulting language ahead.

I ran out of the east entrance of Celadon City. There was a guard there behind a desk, but he seems to be focused on his book. Even as I ran past him, feet pounding on the floor, he still didn't look up. Maybe he is one of the officers Team Rocket managed to bribe? I ran out of the city into Route 7. From there, it was simply a straight path to the next gate, which leads to Saffron City. I was about to run past the route when I suddenly stopped.

I just realized something. There's a chance that I'll have to battle other trainers in Saffron, but I only know my Tentacool's moves fully. Also, my Pokémon are barely trained. Maybe I should train them more?

No, I don't have the time for that. Ronnie asked me to meet near the Saffron City gym. But the least I could do is look though my own Pokémon's moves. With that, I called out all of my Pokémon. It was awkward seeing them stare at me. Tentacool looked at me with admiration, Rhyhorn looked at me with acceptance and Murkrow didn't look at me at all. Not suprising, since I stolen it.

I pulled out my Rocketdex to examine my Rhyhorn and Murkrow. My Rhyhorn is level 12, male, and knows the moves Horn Attack, Scary Face, Fury Attack and Rock Tomb. My Murkrow is level 15, female, and knows the moves Peck, Psychic, Pursuit and Haze.

I couldn't believe that my Pokémon knows those moves and are relatively strong. Sure, I need to train them, but that shouldn't be too much of a daunting task, considering that HQ has a battle simulator. With these Pokémon, I can really help Ronnie and win the battles against the trainers that he was talking about.

So I ran past the Route and through the Saffron City West Gate, my Pokémon following me, even Murkrow suprisingly.

*******

The officer there also turned a blind eye on me. Guess I shouldn't be surprised.

I then ran off to the Saffron gym, viewing all of the large skyscrapers and buildings. There were even more of them here than in Celadon City. I guess I shouldn't be suprised, since this is not only the largest city in Kanto, but also its capital. It's also home of the massive conglomerate Silph Co., developer of various Pokémon technologies. I won't be suprised if Team Rocket decides to take it over again.

As I approached the gym, I saw Ronnie standing next of a little girl who looked terrified. He was grinning like crazy. Bystanders pretended not to notice.

"Hey man," Ronnie said with a wide grin. "Are those your new Pokémon?"

"Yep," I replied as I approached him. "So is that the trainer you were talking about?"

"Yep." He said. "Her name is Diana. Isn't that right?"

"Y-Yes." She squeaked.

"What Pokémon does she have?" I asked.

"A Nidoran male, Spearow and a Nidoran female. I already took the Nidoran male and Spearow from her." He replied.

"Hey, I wanted a Nidoran male!" I complained.

Ronnie smirked at me. "Hey, you managed to steal Pokémon already, it makes sense that I'll get first pickings. The good news is that now I've ditched my stupid Rattata. And I also have a Flying Pokémon now. I kept her around because I wanted to know if you wanted the Nidoran female."

I raised my eyebrows. "Why do I get the Nidoran female?"

"Simple, it fits your feminine personality and looks," Ronnie said with a snigger.

"What the hell do you mean by "feminine"?!" I said indignantly, feeling heat rising in my face.

Ronnie's smirk turned into a grin. "You were such a wuss back in combat training remember? I could sense that you were hesitating when you hit, as if you didn't want to hurt me. But you had to if you wanted to win the sparring matches."

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ME FEMININE!" I yelled. I never considered in the past how Ronnie's face looks ripe for bashing repeatedly with a cinderblock.

Ronnie started to laugh. "OK then, how about your pink hair. Totally looks dyed."

"That's my natural hair colour!" I protested. "It runs in the family! My mom had it, and now I do!"

"Sure, that's totally believable." Ronnie said sarcastically.

I cocked my fist back and aimed a hard punch at Ronnie's face. He dodged it, laughing along the way.

"I think you might've missed by a little." He said, sniggering.

He shouldn't have sniggered. Because in the time that he did, he was distracted. Enough for me to recover and land a solid punch in his face.

Ronnie stumbled back, shocked and dazed before falling on his butt. Then he cracked a smile. "Damn, Hayden! I didn't know you could hit this hard! Why didn't you do that back in training?"

I shrugged. "Didn't have the motivation, I guess. And for someone who talks so big, you sure fell easily when I punched you."

Ronnie grinned even wider as he stood up. "Don't forget, I still beat you in 10 matches. You just caught me by surprise, that's all. This'll be your only win against me from now on."

"Talk about a sore loser." I said sarcastically.

I heard a giggle behind me. I turned around to see the girl, Diana, who we were supposed to rob. She seems to be laughing at this minor farce of ours. She stopped laughing and instantly looked scared when we looked at her, though.

"So, are you going to take the Nidoran or not?" Ronnie asked, getting up.

Despite the argument that happened just recently, I shrugged. "Sure, why not. I'll kick your ass with it." I approached Diana and took the only Pokeball left on her belt. She flinched when I did that, tears starting to run down her face.

I used my Rocketdex to examine my new catch. It's a level 10 Pokémon with the moves Growl, Scratch, Tail Whip and Double Kick.

Ronnie grinned at me. "Now we're official Pokémon thieves! If only the citizens weren't too cowardly. Then I could test my skills in a match... even the girl was scared!"

I raised my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I got impatient and decided to challenge her myself, but she was too scared to fight! How boring..."

The girl still didn't reply. She stared as us like a frightened Deering when they see car headlights. 

In all honesty, I'm not really that suprised. Citizens are always to afraid to take action when they are at risk, but they will support anyone actually doing something. Of course, the support tends to be verbal, unsuprisingly.

"And the other trainers? I thought that there were more of them."

"They ran away the moment I showed up," Ronnie said in a disgruntled fashion. "Fucking cowards."

"Well, guess there's nothing here for us to do," I said with a shrug. "Since we stole enough Pokémon, there's really no need to stay in Saffron City."

"Agreed. Lets return back to base," Ronnie replied.

"You'll do no such thing!" I heard a voice say.

Suprised, we turned around. We saw a trainer dressed in mystic clothing run out of the Saffron gym. Following her was a girl with braided hair. 

I felt a rush of dread. That girl was the one I threatened earlier.

Ronnie eyes widened. "Oh shit. It's one of Sabrina's Psychics." He looked thunderstruck. In that moment, Diana snatched her Nidoran from my hand and ran off. But I didn't care too much.

I had another problem coming closer each passing second.

In the Saffron gym, the leader, Sabrina, has trainers called Psychics, who - not suprisingly - use mainly Psychic-Type Pokémon with a few Ghost-Types. They tend to be relatively strong if trained well, and since Team Rocket tends uses Poison-Type Pokémon, Sabrina's Psychics are known for even taking down Team Rocket admin. They are viewed as the guardians of Saffron City, in a sense. Of course, this convoluted their egos greatly, and the fact that the government pays them handsomely doesn't help with the public opinion, unless they fight us. Team Rocket was able to distract them when they tried to take over the city and Silph Co. in the past, but now we don't have the luxury to do so.

Ronnie tapped the pistol on his belt. "You wanna threaten him?

Threatening them with potential death before they send their Pokémon out would be a good way to avoid defeat. Sabrina's Psychics are well beyond our skill capacity. We'd get creamed by them. I was about to say yes when I had a flashback.

From when I threatened to shoot a trainer before.

 _"You can't treat people lives like they are a joke, a game!"_ Anna's words still rang in my head. She was basically saying that I have to take my actions more seriously and not play around with other people's lives. I thought that she was overreacting, but it turns out that she might've had a point. Then I thought about what just happened before.

_A crashed police car, blood oozing out of it. A near dead police officer that was shocked by my sudden turn of villainy. A loved family member wrongfully taken from this world..._

"Hey, Hayden, what's wrong with you?!" Ronnie was screaming at my face.

I didn't respond. The trainers got closer and closer.

"I'm not losing to this punk, I'm leaving!" With that, he dashed off. I guess Ronnie would only threaten them if I was too.

I was still in a daze from my previous actions. I still stood there as the Psychic confronted me. A crowd had gathered.

He has a murderous look on his face. "I can't believe that scum like you returned. It was bad enough that you are in Team Rocket, but you also had to threaten my girlfriend with a gun."

I still stood dazed as I stared at the girl beside him. Who knew that I'd see her soon? Guess it's a small world after all...

She also has a murderous look. "I bet you were too scared to fight me, were you? You just used your gun like you are the king of the world, right?"

I didn't respond.

"He probably couldn't even harm a Caterpie just because of his cowardice." The Psychic boy said with contempt.

_If only he knew._

A crowd had gathered. They started to jeer at me. I heards insults like "scum" and "loser". How original.

"But things are different now. We are prepared to unleash our Pokemon at your slightest movement. You will have no time to get your gun, so you'll have to fight us in a Pokemon battle. Only difference, we'll win and bring you to justice!"

The Psychic guy had an arrogant look on his face. His girlfriend's face mirrored his expression. The crowd around us started to go rabid.

"Tear him apart!" one guy yelled.

"Get revenge for all the hell that he has caused!" another girl shrieked.

"You stink!" yelled a five-year old as he threw a stone at me. Other people in the crowd followed suit, throwing various garbage at me. I didn't respond. I felt too stuck in my daze.

"Hey, does that kid look familiar to you?" the Psychic guy asked.

"Yeah, he does," the girl said, musing. "He looks a bit like a guy called Nathan Crowder."

The crowd stopped jeering and began mumbling. I caught on stuff like "awesome person" and "handsome lad".

I felt irritation start to break through from my daze. Great. I forgot that Nathan attended the University of Saffron here. Makes sense, since he wanted to be a politician and this is the top university in Kanto. And of course, since he's Mr. Perfect and super popular, everyone here practically wants to marry him. Typical. He's so popular that the entire city knows him! How is that possible?!

"No, that can't be Nathan. Nathan is more well-built than this guy, and he doesn't have stupid pink hair." The girl stared at me like I was a dissected Froakie in a Biology class.

"Hey, I know this guy!" A random person in the crowd shouted. I turned to face him. He looked like a kid that went to my high school, though I don't remember him. Everyone's face feels like a blur.

"Well, who is he?" The girl asked.

"A guy called Hayden." He sneered. "He's Nathan's younger brother. Only difference, he's a delinquent that can't do anything."

 _Why thank you,_ I thought sarcastically. That didn't stop the anger from bubbling up in me slowly. I mean, seriously, "Nathan's younger brother" is enough to identify me at this point. "Delinquent" sounds like a bit much.

"Hayden?" The Psychic guy questioned. "I think I might've heard about him before..."

His girlfriend spoke up. "You did. I told you about what my friend said about him, right? She went to his high school."

Psychic guy's face perked up. "Oh, right, him! That antisocial dude, right?"

 _"Antisocial?"_ My anger burned even greater. I was called many names, but I was only called antisocial twice in my life. Once was right now.

And the other was... back then... one of my biggest regrets...

_No! I can't regret that! She had it coming after all! She knew the hell that I've been forced through, she herself went through something similar, and she still had the gall to insult me?_

"Well, I guess we shouldn't be suprised that he joined Team Rocket!" the girl exclaimed with contempt. "Only the losers and dropouts join there!" 

The anger bubbled up in me again, even more intensely. 

She stared at me. "Hey! You haven't been responding to me at all! What's wrong with you man?!"

"Maybe he recognizes that he really is a failure!" The boy laughed mercilessly.

I balled my fists. What I wouldn't give for five minutes alone in a locked room with him and his whore girlfriend. And a gun.

I've decided. Screw Pokemon battles, I'll just beat them up and get out of here.

_"What's the point?"_

I froze. I saw a young boy inside of my mind.

He had pink hair, black sneakers and jeans, and a grey hoodie. He was shorter than me, and stared at me with a depressed expression. Like he hasn't smiled in a long time.

He was me when I started middle school, when the hell started. 

When my parents and teachers started comparing me to Nathan.

When I learned that school had a class-like system, and I was so far in the bottom of the barrel, that I was practically the barrel itself.

The younger me stared at me.  _"You know you're worthless. You can't do anything right! The amount of times you failed is downright embarrassing!"_

He's right, I know me the best, after all...

I felt something splatter against my face. I tasted ketchup.

I shook away my daze and noticed that the crowd was jeering at me again, throwing even more garbage at me. My uniform was soon stained with condiments.

"I don't think this guy should've joined Team Rocket," a guy in the crowd exclaimed. He was the same person who recognized that I was Hayden.

"Oh? And why's that?" the girl asked.

"Simple. Team Rocket has  _some_ skill, but I've seen this loser in action. He's so mediocre, calling him that would be an insult to anyone that's mediocre!" He started to laugh, the rest of the crowd joining him. Their laughs felt like a tidal wave of hate, but I couldn't care less. I'm worthless, after all.

"Then what  _can_ he join?" the Psychic boy asked sarcastically, laughing as well. His girlfriend was laughing so hard she was on all fours.

"Does being a bum and a druggie count?" the other boy asked to the crowd as if he was some sort of comedian. Their laughter just got even louder. Really? Maybe it's because I'm the butt of the joke, but I don't find this funny.

"But in all seriousness. I know an organization that he could join." he said with a smirk. "It's an wonderful place where autisitic teenagers pretend to be cool when in reality they can't so shit!"

"And where is this place?" The girl managed to choke out.

"Why it's Team Skull in Alola!" He announced it like some sort of dramatic climax.

I froze.  _Team Skull?_ Dread rushed in me.

"Those morons? Weren't they so stupid, they tried to steal free berries?" A guy in the crowd sniggered.

"Holy crap, I didn't think they were that stupid!" A girl began to shriek.

The crowd laughed even more, throwing insults along the way. As for me, I still felt empty. The apathy that I have when I realize that I'm worthless...

But no. In this case, it felt like... like...

_The calm before the storm._

"Unfortunately, those idiots disbanded, so he can't join them." the boy said as if he missed an important deadline in school. "But then again, he can start up with those two morons he hung out with! They, after all, were even stupider than he is!"

The crowd howled like a pack of Mightyenas. If they didn't laugh enough before, they sure are now. The girl laughed so hard she couldn't even make a sound. So did her boyfriend.

As for me...

...

...

...

I felt...

...

...

...

felt...

...

...

...

**_PURE CONSUMING RAGE. THAT'S ALL._ **

I never felt anything like this. But I could remember why...

Why I felt so angry. When he mentioned _those two people..._

_Former Team Skull grunts. Twins. A boy and a girl, with no one but each other. Parents disowned them, hated by teachers and students alike for being "criminals" and "dropouts" and "failures"... seeing themselves as total losers._

_My only friends. For a few days. Before that happened..._

Why?

_WHY DO PEOPLE HAVE TO BE FUCKING DICKS AND BRING OTHERS DOWN?!_

_Are we so obsessed with progress and self-betterment that we look down on others who are "lower"? Do we want to be the best so fucking much we lose basic morals like RESPECT AND FAIRNESS? **ARE WE SO SCARED OF FAILURE THAT WE MUST ALWAYS BE PERFECT TO THE POINT WHERE IT HARMS OTHERS BECAUSE OF "LIFE" OR "LAWS OF NATURE" OR "COMPETITION" OR WHATEVER THE HELL IS AN EXCUSE NOWADAYS?!**_

Emotion contorted my face. I heard angry-like sounds beside me.

I turned. It was my Pokemon. In the chaos that happened. I forgot that they were beside me. Rhyhorn had a hamburger carton on his horn and looked thunderous. Tentacool and Murkrow were covered with soda and had expressions that mirrored mine.

_Of course. They too could've been insulted by the crowd. I did hear other insults thrown in there after all._

_They were the same as me in a sense. **In the sense that they too were angry.**_

_When I locked eyes with my Pokemon, it felt as if we've come to some sort of understanding. Even, to an extent, with my newly stolen Murkrow._

_I wish I knew what they've been through. That way I can maybe understand them better, be more sympathetic._

_But we felt angry. And for now, that's all we need._

_Rage burned even faster now._

_You can insult me all you want, but there's no way in hell I'll let you insult **them.** My friends. My Pokemon._

The Psychic guy and his girlfriend stopped laughing and started to stare at me with unease. I must really have a scary face on. The guy who insulted me from earlier started to look scared and slinked a little into the crowd to not stand out as much.

I was overcome with emotion, but I managed to snarl out one line.

**"You'll get your wish, _retards._ I'll battle you right now. Soon, you'll grovel before me."**


End file.
